Thanks daddybang, now the absolute worst part has hit me, I have to wait for my license to arrive and my rifle is already paid for :’( haha, I honestly think after my family and pets, that was my next big worry, what it didn’t arrive and I had to get another sent, what a ******! Haha.

Heh; Found out this morning that we had 'Blackadder's in the family; back in the early 1900's!

I'm a distant rellie of a Blackadder or two!!

Well, it was exciting to me at any rate...

Cyclone Owen doesnt seem like he's going to be all that imposing, though it'd be freaking kind of him to wet the crap out of the eastern sea-board, if he could.I saw some soul at Weatherzone had Wednesday's synopitc written as there being a 'Torpical Cyclone' developing. I'm still kinda wondering if a Torpical cyclone is different to a Tropical cyclone, or they've simply sacked all of the proof-readers....[Think I already know the answer to that one...sigh..]It looks vaguely like we might see some rainfall from Owen, but not likely to be much, if any. We'll know by about Wednesday, at any rate.

---------------------Sharing the extreme love with cats in Outback QLD

Rod_outbak wrote:Talking to my mate who also lives in the suburb-part of Gracemere(South of the town centre), he felt the media advisories were a gross over-reaction by people high up in Emergency Services, and the Pale-Chook Government.. The advisories caused a lot of panic, when a lot of those people either didnt need to evac at all, or could've done so much later safely. But authorities urged everyone to depart in the afternoon.

Mate was saying, he's up on his roof at ~7:30pm, theres NO sign of a glow anywhere, though a fair amount of smoke. Half an hour later, they get another "GO NOW!!" evacuation advisory. He rings his mate in the local rural fire brigade, and asks the status of the fire. Mate has knocked off; fire is considered under control. Mean-time, authorities, are still telling people to get the hell out of town NOW.There just wasnt the fuel around his area, to cause the sort of fires they were predicting.

Mate says there were definitely people around Gracemere and West who got touched up by the fires, but there were a LOT of people who werent ever going to be at threat from them. When I was reading the fire advisories early evening, the situation was deemed as bad as it can possibly get. Thats NOT what people on the ground, (both Police and Rural Fires) were saying, but thats what was being told to the public.Mean-time, the panic caused by the "Go NOW!!" directives seems to have resulted in a few accidents.

First "go now" was issued at about 1500 hrs, schools were told to hold students for pick up by parrents, same with daycare centers, students at the two schools in Gracemere come from upto 30 - 40 km away (including the communities of Kabra/Stanwell) and most parrents work in Rocky, 10 km away. Texts were sent to parrents informing them of this. Then the d**kheads in Brisbane direct all roads to be closed inbound, not understanding that people had to go back to Gracemere to pick up students and other family members from the outlying communities. eventually they had to reopen the Cap H'way to two way traffic to Gracemere, but kept it closed to the other communities, to which they reopenned a back road to. This back road branches off the Cap and runs though the middle of Gracemere and has one school and one daycare center on it. however these d**kheads in Brisbane, in all their wisdom only wanted one lane of this road opened to two way traffic, keeping the other lane for emergency vechicles only. So you can see why your mate gave up and decided to stay put. Brisbane need to butt out and leave these things up to local authorities who have a better knowledge of local conditions.

The trouble is, it appears the city bound chair warmers think they know more than those of us with decades of experience, I have been speaking to someone who was on the Deepwater fires, there were a series of stuff ups, lack of basic resources, combined with the ignoring of basic tried and proven methods and tactics, these show that the government and those at the top were not prepared.

To see a pip shoulder on the news boasting about their latest computer modelling prediction systems, while they failed dismally in getting the basics even close to right, means they have no idea, their trendy up market new fangled systems have over ridden the tried and tested basics that have worked well for years, they have put peoples safety at risk and allowed these fires to be uncontrolled for longer than they should of been, it clearly showed those in head office were not doing, and or, did not know their jobs, structural fire fighting methods and computer generated predictions, don't put out bush fires.

Over 15 years ago, I was still part of our local Rural Fire Brigade. We've got some long-established methods for fighting fires in our country (open grassland), and over the decades, the techniques have been well-polished.We get a new area training officer, who promptly tells us our fire-fighting methods are dangerous, and NOT how to fight grass fires.Interesting....my father and 2 neighbours helped the RFB make a freaking video on how to best fight fires in this country, using these exact same methods!

It turns out this training officer was fresh out from country up in the Top end, where the grass is substantially higher and heavier than what we have. Because our methods wouldnt work up in his previous posting, they MUST be dangerous everywhere. NO interest in first understanding the local approach to fire-fighting; just that we are all doing it wrong.[Funny; we seem to have put out hundreds of thousands of acres of fires over the years without people being hurt....]

It took this phukwit over 12 months to eventually admit he might have made a mistake, but by that stage, they had started to lose volunteers. [I have to admit; it was the beginning of the end for us as active members in our local RFB].That mindset that they knew best without listening to local experience(or having any understanding of local conditions), was freaking galling.These days, we fight fires with our neighbours, but I no longer have any interest or participation in the Rural Fires organization. We buy our own gear, we use it as we see fit, and we fight our own fires. I've let them know in detail why we refuse to be involved any more, but as I'm not telling them what they want to hear, they dont want to know.

I'm not critical of the blokes on the ground; they are absolute legends in what they've achieved. But the support from on high is woeful, and the useless gits in head office who seem to want to micro-manage fires from their office desk, is a disaster in the making.AND; when it all goes to custard, the people who will bear the brunt, are the legendary people out fighting the fires!It's just WRONG!

---------------------Sharing the extreme love with cats in Outback QLD

Rod_outbak wrote:Heh; Found out this morning that we had 'Blackadder's in the family; back in the early 1900's!

I'm a distant rellie of a Blackadder or two!!

Well, it was exciting to me at any rate...

Cyclone Owen doesnt seem like he's going to be all that imposing, though it'd be freaking kind of him to wet the crap out of the eastern sea-board, if he could.I saw some soul at Weatherzone had Wednesday's synopitc written as there being a 'Torpical Cyclone' developing. I'm still kinda wondering if a Torpical cyclone is different to a Tropical cyclone, or they've simply sacked all of the proof-readers....[Think I already know the answer to that one...sigh..]It looks vaguely like we might see some rainfall from Owen, but not likely to be much, if any. We'll know by about Wednesday, at any rate.

Yeah I can't see it doin much. A little rain up this way is expected would be good if it makes it way inland for you mob and to turn the black spots green.

Michael08 wrote:So it turns out the fire near us was bigger than gracemere itself and was on a direct course for gracemere, turns out they had a good reason to evacuate haha.

Only if you believe what's reported in the Courier Mail, other media and the Govt. The CM started the BS last Friday with a report on how close Gracemere came to being wiped off the map using a this as the basis for their story:

forecast.JPG (47.53 KiB) Viewed 381 times

Pitty the failed to mention that this is only a forcast tracking map done two days earlier, one of several tracking maps done that day using diffent variables to predict the track of the fires. This particular one was the worse case scenaio where the grass/underbrush fires were to crown and burning embers were to be blown well out in front of the fire to start spot fires. These forecast maps are done in Brisbane with very little input from locals as the actual conditions on the ground at the firefront.Declaring catastrophic conditions was the Govt's get out of jail free card for their lack of support and funding of emergencies services.Open the link below and scroll to AirOps Vision November 30 2018 to see the amount of actual devastation caused by this fire.https://newsroom.psba.qld.gov.au/Conten ... /1060/1008

Rifle stock and pistol grip reproduction. "legally obligated to be a victim in this country"

Michael08 wrote:So it turns out the fire near us was bigger than gracemere itself and was on a direct course for gracemere, turns out they had a good reason to evacuate haha.

Only if you believe what's reported in the Courier Mail, other media and the Govt. The CM started the BS last Friday with a report on how close Gracemere came to being wiped off the map using a this as the basis for their story:

forecast.JPG

Pitty the failed to mention that this is only a forcast tracking map done two days earlier, one of several tracking maps done that day using diffent variables to predict the track of the fires. This particular one was the worse case scenaio where the grass/underbrush fires were to crown and burning embers were to be blown well out in front of the fire to start spot fires. These forecast maps are done in Brisbane with very little input from locals as the actual conditions on the ground at the firefront.Declaring catastrophic conditions was the Govt's get out of jail free card for their lack of support and funding of emergencies services.Open the link below and scroll to AirOps Vision November 30 2018 to see the amount of actual devastation caused by this fire.https://newsroom.psba.qld.gov.au/Conten ... /1060/1008

You might be interested in this correspondence which I sent to the Minister for Fire and Emergency Services today.

"Sir,

Having lived in the bush for 62 years, much of that time involved with agriculture in various forms, having being a Ranger with the Forestry, as well as a former Group Captain with the Rural Fire Service, I have had many years practical experience in not only bush fire management and suppression, but also land and vegetation management.

These experiences and history, have also allowed me to witness the transition from when we could manage and reduce fuel loads as we determined necessary, through the gradual imposition of restrictions over the years, up to today where management and reduction of fuel loads is almost impossible, as a result of legislative restrictions and onerous approval processes.

I have likewise witnessed the difference in the intensity and destructive nature of wild fire, when management and reduction of fuel loads were not hindered with excessive bureaucratic processes and restrictive laws, where vegetation was managed, fires were easier to control and less damaging, even in wether that was as hot if not hotter, than during the recent Queensland fires.

I wonder if those sitting in the Fire headquarters in Brisbane, from the Commissioner down, who are making decisions on bush fire management and control, can say they have anywhere near the level of experience and historical knowledge as myself and the many other long term rural residents and fire fighters, who's input is generally ignored by these so called managers.

I will go further to say those occupying key decision making roles have been proven by some of the first hand accounts of debacles coming out of recent fires, to be inept in areas, while they played with and relied on computer generated forecasts, brigades went without adequate communication, mapping, machinery and other key resources, basic tried and proven techniques were ignored in favour of virtually useless modern technology.

People behind a computer screen with the latest IT technology and Computer generated forecasts, don't control and extinguish fires, people with practical experience and knowledge of basic tried and proven techniques with access to adequate, water, functional communication equipment, machinery and other basic resources, do.

Last but the most important issue is, excessive fuel loads are the number one reason fires are so difficult to control and are so intense and damaging, historical first hand experience conclusively proves that, where there is no fuel there is no fire, where fuel loads are significantly reduced and managed, fires are much easier to control and extinguish and do much less damage.

While ever politicians continue to make policies and laws restricting people from being able to adequately manage and reduce fuel loads, while ever fuel loads on public and some private land is allowed to grow to excessive quantities, these extensive fires that destroy peoples lives, property and the environment will continue, politicians and bureaucrats need to stop putting their own futures ahead of lives, safety and property of people in the community.

I would welcome the opportunity to meet and discuss these issues further with you, as you will see I am the Chairman of the Queensland Shooters Farmers and Fishers Party, however I do not wish to politicise this issue, as seeing an outcome that is favourable to the health and safety of the community, is more important than political posturing, as such it is my hope that your government will listen to and work with me on this.

Daddybang wrote:Geeze I hope you fellas down around rockie and gracemere didn't get hit by those storms to hard. Were.they as bad as the media said?.Anyway hopefully ya alright.

A little hail, wind and about 2 inches of rain where we staying in Rocky ATM. Looks like our little village we call home (about 180 k's west) got hammered by hail, but can't comfirm this as yet. Still rumbling outside in Rocky. Can tell you, through, these storms have nothing to do with ex-TC Owen,contrairy to whatever the CM is trying to spout.Edit, OH, and lost power for about an hour.

Rifle stock and pistol grip reproduction. "legally obligated to be a victim in this country"

Good to hear trekkin. Hope everything is right when ya get home Mareeba and Atherton got a little flogging on Monday arvo(I sat at home and watched go right around us out here ) and yeah the media tried to link it to Owen....only problem is all of it came out of the west!

G'day DB mate good old media again hey wouldn't know sh#@t from clay in my opinion Yeah mate we've had a couple of storms but no nasties as yet also had about 2'' rain over two days but last night itpoured for 2-3hrs haven't measured that yet so don't know exact amount to dateGood to see those fires gone we were still getting smoked out 3 days after till the rain cameWon't be long it'll all be green again or covered in water which ever comes first both will be welcome within reasonI really take my hat off to the men and women on the ground fighting the fires they done themselves proud but just watch nowand see how the big pollies try and steal their thunder for the proverbial vote count

Gday granddad. Great to hear ya getting some rain mate at least that'll turn that black to good green pick fairly soon. I had to go and move some horses the other day cause a mate out at mutchilba had the fire on his boundary and then the next day had to pick up my spawn from her grandparents place because we were concerned she'd be cut off with the rain!!!F@#kin Nature!!

As for the media. ... I always try to get the truth from those on the ground like you and Michael and Trekkin cause it's just not possible to trust the bullsh@t that we see on the box. Anyway good to hear ya getting some moisture.